Journey of the Warriors
by Portia.V
Summary: In a desperate attempt to prove herself to her family, Portia may have made a few wrong decisions. But were those decisions really all that wrong when she realises that part of them were for a whole different reason? Unreal Tournament as never seen before
1. Chapter 1: Short history

**Journey of the warriors**

**Chapter one**

**Portia was not new to the Tournament. In fact, after two years, time that might seem short for others, she felt like a veteran in the game. She entered the so called competition to prove herself to everyone that doubted her ever since she was a child. **

**You see, Portia was born in, what some might call, a rich family.. A very rich family. Her father was one of the "big guys" from the Liandri corporation. Her parents met under unfortunate circumstances at first. Her mother, 25 at the time, was found unconscious by Xan Kriegor outside of the Liandri building and was taken inside to the hospital wing. For her father, it was love at first sight... She looked like an angel, having long blond hair and soft green eyes. He stayed by her side for a week, until she was fully conscious to comprehend where she was and to explain what happened. Apparently, she was rushing to the police to report a robbery at a flower shop when she suddenly felt very dizzy and collapsed. **

**Over the next two weeks, they grew very close until they, eventually, decided that they belonged together. And Portia was the second fruit of their strong bond of love. Yes, she had an older sister named Idina who was supposed to follow their grandfather's legacy in the Tournament. But a new carreer path sounded more suitable for her, and that was modeling. Portia suggested that she receive the necessary training to continue the legacy, but her father just laughed it off. Everyone in the family knew that she was the official sick girl. Being born with a hipoplastic kidney (one kidney ****wa****s smaller than the other), she always found herself under some kind of treatment that only made her sick to her stomach. Everyone just assumed that she was weak and did not belong into a powerful family such as hers. Her parents were not so pleased either, but nontheless, she was their child and they loved her.**

**Idina, who was 15 years older tha****n**** her, was not so understanding though. As a teenager, Portia was a bit overweight because her tissues retained a lot of water, a side effect of the kidney issue. All the way, Idina was shouting every way that it was shameful and that Portia should take her example or at least stay in the house. It is needless to say that Portia, 15 when this all started, was slowly drifting into a black void. That is until he came into her life...**

***six years ago***

**His name was Boris Nikoliavitch and he was 35. He came to their home as Idina's fioncee. Portia was out for a walk when they arrived home, so she wasn't there to greet them. When she did arrive though, she overheard everyone talking about her...**

**"[...] She is our youngest, so we don't expect much as of yet, especially in her condition"**

**She recognized that as her mother's voice.**

**"Why? What is wrong with her?"**

**Now this voice was new... It was a smooth male voice with a hint of a russian accent.**

**"She suffers from severe fatness, that's what's wrong with her!"**

**That despicable voice was her sister's. She still could not believe they were related...**

**"Now Idina... Portia has some kidney problems that cause her tissues to retain a larger than average ammount of water, so she is looking a bit overweight."**

**"A bit overweight?" Idina followed "Dad, she is too huge for my own liking and you know it! I mean, I'm a model here, hello!"**

**Portia's eyes started to sting from tears and she decided that she heard enough. She walked away and out of the house, slamming the door shut.**

**"What was that?" Idina asked.**

**"That, miss, was probably your baby sister overhearing you! I thought I told you to give her a break, she didn't ask for this to happen to her. Just because you're a model, does not mean that everyone has to fit into your standards, wether they are sick or not!" her father sternly stated.**

**Idina rolled her eyes and turned on the television.**

**"She's probably in the back garden, I'll go get her" **

**"Honey, you promised to help with the cooking tonight, remember?" **

**The parents both looked at Idina expectantly. She looked up and frowned.**

**"No way, I have no time to fetch a troubled teen. I have to do my manicure"**

**Boris rolled his eyes and could not believe that this was Idina, the woman he fell in love with.**

**"It is alright Mr. and Mrs. Dietrich, I will go find her. I saw where the back garden is when I came through the gate."**

**"Why thank you Boris, that's very kind of you"**

**Boris nodded and proceeded through the sliding glass door, leading to the back. The garden was truly beautiful, there were all kinds of flowers everywhere. A stone path was leading to a small lake, where a weeping willow resided. What he witnessed next broke his heart****..****. Kneeling next to the willow, was a 1****5**** year old blond haired girl shedding tears that could shake the soul of even the toughest soldiers. She was wearing a white summer dress, with black roses on it. Boris could see what her parents talked about concerning her condition, but Idina's words were now non-existent to him. She was, despite everything, such a beautiful young girl. He could not possibly see why people were often so displeased about. As opposed to Idina's brown locks, Portia had her mother's hair and facial features. The only thing different about her was the pale tone of her skin. **

**She suddenly looked up and that was when he realized she really was different from her family. Grey eyes, piercing with emotion, seemed to stare right through his soul, making him shiver. They were her gra****n****dfather's alright... Jonathan Dietrich. The most popular and strong warrior ever to step up in the Tournament. Some even say that Xan Kriegor made a role model out of him when he was young.**

**Portia frowned and angrily wiped away her tears.**

**"Who are you and what do you want?" she asked in an angry tone.**

**"My apologies for intruding... My name is Boris Nikoliavitch. I am your sister's fioncee."**

**Portia's eyes widened**

**"The Boris Nikoliavitch? As in Zenith, former leader of the Blood Reavers?"**

**Boris laughed out loud. It was not new to him that he was recognized at times. He had been a warrior in the Tournament ever since he was 20. Just recently, when the head of Liandri decided to switch team colours, he had given leadership to Kyla, otherwise known as Iliana, a female mercenary and crucial part of the team. Their team had switched from blue to red. He was still part of it, but 15 years of leadership was more than enough for him.**

**Portia grinned and sat up, extending her hand.**

**"I'm Portia Dietrich and it's a pleasure to meet you! I must say that I admire you greatly on the battlefields!"**

**Boris smiled widely**

**"Well it's good to know I have such a lovely fan!"**

**Portia chuckled and had completely forgotten what she was so upset about.**

***present time***

**Ever since that day, the two became great friends, in spite of their 20 years difference. When Portia turned 18, she decided to enter the Tournament to continue her grandfather's legacy since she was officially an adult and could do as she pleased without needing permission from her parents. She needed to prove that she was capable and Boris was the only one who supported her decision, although he didn't like it. It was not oblivious to him either that she had grown up into an outstanding young woman. **

**When she turned 17, Boris broke great news to everyone, that a friend of his, who was a doctor, could help with Portia's health problems. And it's needless to say that the promise was kept. When she signed up for the Tournament, gone was the plump teen who was feeling sick almost all of the time. There stood a tall young woman with much determination and curves to die for. One year, an experienced doctor and a supportive friend was all it took.**

**Now, as she was on her way to the Frigate ship for assault, she was also pondering on some deeper feelings that have been bothering her for the last two years.****..**


	2. Chapter 2: Blooming feelings

_Since I didn't have an author's note on the first chapter, I'm going to have one here. And I will add them on whatever chapter I think needs it. So, everyone who's played UT 1999 knows by now who the Blood Reavers are. As for Portia, you can find her in the game, by choosing the option "Female Commando" and then "Aphex". From there, you can choose either Idina or Portia. And yes, in my story Idina is presented as Portia's sister, bare with me here.. Hehe! Anyway, in this chapter the team isn't in the actual Tournament, but in a training session. You can figure out that "I", "L" and "D" stand for Iliana, Lauren and Dessloch. I just wanted to make sure you don't get confused... Also, Portia is going down memory lane. Enjoy your reading!_

Chapter two

Portia is now 21 and, to her great distress, falling in love with her sister's fioncee... She suspected it is because he was always by her side, helping her when needed. But she wasn't the only one needing attention. For the last five years she had been there for Boris as well. Her sister Idina considered that she wanted a long engagement because she wasn't really ready to settle down. And judging by the fact that the Tournament started again and she hadn't made up her mind, she still wasn't ready.

Boris was, needless to say, hurt by this and felt himself slowly drifting away from Idina, his supposed fiancee. She didn't even seem to care much about it anymore. As he was pondering this, he unconsciously kept a close eye on Portia, who was preparing to dive underwater so she could enter the ship unnoticed. This bothered him a bit because Mariana was assigned to cover her and she was doing a great job. He shook his head and remembered the first time the team met Portia. They took a liking to her almost immediately, especially Mariana since she is 25, therefor closer in age to Portia. Even Luthor, who normally gave new people the cold shoulder, seemed to be pleased with her presence. Luthor is 28 and currently in the process of winning Mariana's heart. Kyla is 35 and she also seemed to trust Portia a lot on important missions, such as Assault or Capture the Flag. Boris, who had recently turned 41, is considered the most responsible and valuable member on the team. Mariana often jokes about it, saying that it's probably because he is the oldest.

He suddenly heard Mariana's voice in his headphones.

"I'm hit! I'm hit!"

This was followed by an announcement that Lauren of the Iron Guard had fragged Mariana.

L: "Try a bigger gun."

Boris panicked and headed to the ship's lower level.

"Dessloch, Iliana, what are your positions?"

I: "I'm headed for the top level of the ship. Portia destroyed the hydraulic compressor and I'm closing in to a victory!"

D: "I'm currently on the middle level with Portia. And Zenith, don't worry, I'm watching her back."

Boris smiled and proceeded to the ship deck to see if he could spot Mariana anywhere, when the announcer's voice boomed through their headphones that the Red Team had won the match.

*that same evening*

Portia was in the shower, pondering over today's match. She had constantly been feeling like she was being watched. Whenever she searched around, she could find no pair of eyes on her, not even Mariana's. It was obvious that she took her responsibility very seriously and only searched around for members of the Blue Team.

Sighing, she applied some rose scented shower gel to her bath sponge and tried to wash away all of the stress from her muscles. Her mind slowly drifted to Boris and what he had done for her over the years. But most importantly, how he gave her a chance when nobody else was willing to... She smiled at the thought of those gentle sea-green eyes and his rich black hair. He was so handsome...

After she signed up for the Tournament, she spent even more time with him in training. When not giving her best to better herself, they talked a lot about everything that could be brought up, from the weather conditions all the way to love. She remembered one such time in particular, when Boris asked her about her love life...

*one year ago*

"And then Luthor just jumped from the castle top, fooling Mariana that he actually went all the way down. It turned out that he just landed on the lower level, next to the blue flame. Mariana went ballistic and, by the look in her eyes, wanted his head."

Portia burst out laughing at the mental image of Mariana and Luthor acting like children.

The Reavers had just finished DOM training that evening, but didn't feel like going out dancing as planned because they were too tired. While Kyla went to sleep and Luthor, alongside Mariana, felt like a movie would be good, Boris decided to take Portia out since she worked so hard to level with the others.

Now, they were at a cozy coffee house and he was remembering funny moments from different training sessions, back when the Reavers were a Blue Team.

"I swear" Portia said, between laughs "Love gets people to do so many crazy things"

Boris smiled widely

"I would know... When your sister and I first started going out, she actually wanted to visit the Phobos satelite. She just settled for me wearing my uniform though..."

His eyes saddened and Portia took his hands into her own.

"I'm sorry for reminding you...But I have to assure you that the problem is not on your side. It's Idina, you know? This modeling job of hers went straight to her head... I used to look up to her a lot as a child... Always thought that she was the one who would continue our grandfather's work in the Tournament because she was the oldest and first born. I could only dream..."

Boris smiled and kissed her hands. Their eyes locked and, for a split second, their hearts seemed to skip a beat with neither of them having the slightest clue that the other was feeling the same. To loosen up the tension caused by this awkward moment, Boris chuckled and turned the conversation around.

"How about you? Any secret romances kept away from your best friend?"

Portia laughed out loud

"Oh, yeah right! You and I both know that nobody has ever been interested in me like that. I'm not even sure that I want this kind of attention, anyway..."

For a moment, Boris seemed disappointed and when he grinned again, wanting to say something else, Portia beat him to it.

"I mean, you know... Not from the wrong kind of guys... The type of hormonal crazed idiots that made fun of me all the way through school. I never did like guys my own age... I always said that a man was more my type, instead of a boy, you know?"

She was beginning to stutter while Boris laughed and had a particular glint in his eyes. Portia blushed and made a blunt remark about how they should make the Morpheus towers livable. After a silent moment passed, they burst out in laughter.

*back to present time*

Portia laughed to herself as she got out of the shower and proceeded to dry off. Afterwards, she got dressed in a black satin night gown and turned on the radio. As she was preparing for bed by drying out her hair, there was a loud knock on the door. She noticed it was closing in to midnight...

Who could it be at this late hour?


End file.
